5 Tips for January Job Hunting

January is the most popular month for all job seekers to search for a new job with 2 out of 5 people in the UK job searching this time last year. There are many reasons for this including people setting themselves New Years resolutions and looking for fresh starts, looking for more money and job prospects and new budgets coming into place.

With the job market picking up and companies looking to be successful in 2015 there are lots of jobs out there to choose from but here are some tips to help you in your search:

1. Make sure your CV is up to date - It's important you keep your CV up to date to ensure employers are looking at your full skill set and experience. Make sure you when you start applying for positions you have the lastest information on your CV and include dates for when you worked or got your qualifications so the employer can see your route of progression.

2. What makes you unique? - If you are job hunting in January you will have a lot of competition with 2 out of 5 people in the UK also looking for jobs. Don't let this put you off... focus on what makes you unique and stand out from other candidates and include this in your CV or cover letter to give the employer something to remember you by.

3. Look at why are you job searching? Look at why you want a new job and ensure you use this as criteria in your search. For example, if you are looking for more money make sure your applying for jobs which offer more money or hours, or if you are looking to gain new skills or progress up the job ladder ensure you are applying for jobs which will take you to the next level in the career path your taking etc.

4. Stay motivated - One of the hardest things to do when job searching, especially this time of year when the January blues kick in is to stay motivated. Set yourself a few hours aside a week on an evening or a weekend to review your job search, remind yourself what you've applied for and look for newly posted jobs which might be suitable.

5. Ask yourself why? - Alot of you will apply for jobs and then wonder why you haven't had any response from the employer. Instead of assuming you arent good enough or that the employer hasnt even looked at your application, take another look at your CV. Is there anything you could change or improve? Anything else you could add? Is the spelling and grammar all correct?